Interview with New Realty Startup, WhoseYourLandlord

TalkMarkets had the opportunity to interview Ofo Ezeugwu, the impressive young CEO of the new breakout startup, WhoseYourLandlord (WYL).

WYL brings quality, accountability, and transparency to the rental experience and is currently raising a round of funding. To date, the company has had some remarkable success and traction.

Q. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and WhoseYourLandlord?

A. My name is Ofo Ezeugwu and I’m a serial entrepreneur and CEO & co-founder of WhoseYourLandlord, a web platform bringing quality to the rental experience by connecting good renters with good home providers through landlord reviews, verified tenant information, and – real time – available listings.
 

Ofo Ezeugwu, CEO & Co-founder of WhoseYourLandlord
Photo credit: Brendan Lowry, Curalate

Q. How did you get the idea for WhoseYourLandlord?

A. During my senior year at Temple University, I was the VP of the student body. In that position, I often fielded questions from inquiring students about issues they were having with their landlords and property managers. I thought ‘What if renters could review their landlords, that way those coming in, know what to expect before signing their lease?’ The idea stuck and we expanded it to provide quality overall, from both sides – Tenants and Home Providers.

Q. At what point did you realize you had a viable business model?

A. Within the first few months of running the business, a former landlord of mine reached out inquiring about paying for ad space on the site.

Q. Did you hit any roadblocks that almost caused you to throw in the towel?

A. Most roadblocks are financial. Once you figure out the business, the brand, the team, and the growth strategy, you need to add fuel to the fire to get it out there. For us, raising investments in this macro-economic climate, hasn’t been easy, but we’re still here and still growing 30% MOM while also locking up several five-digit ad deals, this year, in the process.

Q. We met at the Impact Capital Conference 2016 where we were both Featured Companies. Has your company won any other recognition?

A. We’ve been featured in TechCrunch, Newsweek, on MSNBC, The Philadelphia Inquirer, BET, Black Enterprise, and more. We graduated from DreamIt Ventures in 2015. And, we’ve been dubbed the future of real estate tech by several prominent institutions, while also winning several business plan competitions, too.

Q. You seem to have impressive traction in terms of registered users and realty listings, partnerships, integration with Google and more. Can you expand upon these and how did you manage to achieve these accomplishments?

A. Google has layered our data into their offering via available APIs. We have partnered with Allstate, Roadway Moving, Uber, Fab.com, DOZE Beds, Target, and others. We now have over 160k users and 400k listings, nationwide. The answer, re: how we’ve achieved all this, is by creating a product that’s an actual need. 80% of our user base are millennials, 40% are college students, and we’ve created a strong brand that others buy into.

Q. I understand you are looking for another round of financing. What are you looking for in a potential investor, and how can interested readers get in touch/learn more?

A. An interested reader can reach out to me here. Secondly, We’re looking for an investor who likes unique businesses radically changing antiquated spaces. They don’t need to be super hands on in the ops. We have strong advisors in the real estate and tech space that we work with. Should they have some real estate, digital marketing, or other related experience that would prove helpful, we’d like to chat with them more about strategy and involvement. We just want good energy and for them to believe in us and our ability to achieve the vision.

Q. Where do you see the company in 5 years and how do you plan to get there?

A. We will be the preeminent place to find your rental, nationwide, and we’ll be in the midst of expanding into new foreign markets. We will get there by creating a brand connection with young people, building out our data offerings to renters and home providers, and by putting ourselves in financial position to expand rapidly. When you think of the cab industry, if you’re not catching one on the side of the street, you’re thinking Uber of Lyft. When you think of the hotel industry, if you’re not booking at the Hilton, you’re heading over to Airbnb. When you think of visiting a club, bar, or restaurant, you think Yelp, first. WhoseYourLandlord is the go-to site for housing.

Q. Is there any advice you'd give to other aspiring entrepreneurs?

A. Never stop. Learn, adapt fast, be scrappy as hell, and be consistent. Half the battle is being around long enough for something to happen.

Q. Anything else you want to share with our audience?

A. We’re raising a round currently with over 50% committed. It closes at the top of the new year (end of Jan). Join us in bringing quality to the rental experience. Again, if you’re interested in learning more, ping me here. Happy holidays and go review your landlords!